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Borough Breeding Bird Survey 2003

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Borough Breeding Bird Survey 2003 THE ROYAL BOROUGH OF KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA BOROUGH BREEDING BIRD SURVEY 2003 SURVEY REPORT By GRAHAM GIDDENS INDEX INTRODUCTION, survey techniques etc………………………………………page 1 NON TECHNICAL SUMMARY OF RESULTS………………………………page 3 LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED IN THE BOROUGH…………………………..page 4 INDIVIDUAL SITES Holland Park……………………………………………………………….…page 6 Grand Union Canal…………………………………………………………..page 12 The River Thames and Chelsea Creek……………………………………...page 15 Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace Grounds…………………….page 17 Kensal Green Cemetery……………………………………………………...page 19 Chelsea Physic Garden……………………………………………………….page 21 Olympia Wood………………………………………………………………..page 23 Ladbroke Square Garden…………………………………………………….page 25 RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………………………...page 27 OVERALL COMPARISONS WITH PREVIOUS YEARS…………………..page 28 BOROUGH BREEDING BIRD INDICATOR……………………………….page 32 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………...page 36 1 INTRODUCTION The survey period ran from the beginning of April until the end of August. The sites surveyed included all of the Sites of Metropolitan Importance, as defined by the Borough Ecological Survey 1993, as well as a single Site of Borough Importance Grade 1 (the Chelsea Physic Garden). This year two new sites were included: Olympia Wood, (a small area of woodland sandwiched between railway lines and buildings in the South West of the Borough), and Labroke Square Garden, (a large private garden amongst housing in the centre of the Borough). The latter was surveyed during the original Borough Bird Survey of 1995/96. Holland Park was the main focus of attention, because the Park contains a number of enclosures that are actively managed for wildlife, and the continued gathering of ornithological data aids conservation initiatives at the site. In addition to the sites already mentioned, smaller ones, such as Meanwhile Wildlife Garden and Kensal Green Gas Works were also partly surveyed, and are analysed in the context of the larger sites which they border. SURVEY TECHNIQUES The major sites were visited on a regular basis throughout the breeding season, with efforts sometimes concentrated on locally uncommon species. All sites received at least one early morning visit in April or May, to note singing birds. Birds were confirmed as breeding when nests were found, or when recently fledged juveniles were seen, and when adults were observed carrying nest material or food. In cases where only an adult male was singing regularly from suitable habitat, or when fully grown young were seen (which may have arrived from a different site), this is described as possible breeding. Therefore, for example, where a species is said to have 1-2 breeding pairs, this implies that 1 pair was confirmed as having bred with a second pair possibly having bred. 2 In a small number of cases it was not possible to obtain the exact numbers of birds at a site. In these instances the number of confirmed breeding birds is indicated followed by a plus sign, implying that there may have been more. Bird ringing was carried out at Holland Park, with 99 birds ringed, (including 83 nestlings), and a range of nests was inspected at most sites. 8 birds were retrapped from previous years, including a female blue tit that was 6 years old (the average life span of this species would normally only be 1 or 2 years). All ringing activities were carried out under BTO/EN (British Trust for Ornithology/English Nature) Licence. The author is a BTO/EN A-Permit holder. WEATHER DURING THE SURVEY PERIOD Weather affects birds in several ways, for example: aiding or inhibiting breeding, affecting winter survival rates, and determining the arrival and departure dates of migrants. The winter of 2002/03, immediately prior to the survey was, in contrast to recent winters, much colder. On two occasions snow lay on the ground and temperatures were low for lengthy periods. The spring was frequently interrupted by periods of inclement weather, particularly in May. It was not until the second half of the summer that the weather calmed down, when a series of high pressures established themselves over the UK. By the beginning of August, temperatures rose higher than average, culminating in some of the hottest days ever recorded in the capital. For some resident birds, particularly the Tits, who have a single nest in April/May, the wet spring spelt doom for their young. Other species, such as Blackbirds, fared better, and may even have benefited from the abundance of worms in the wet soil. 3 NON TECHNICAL SUMMARY OF RESULTS The original Borough Bird Survey of 1995-96 described how, despite having the largest concentration of people in London and the least amount of green space, some of the sites within Kensington and Chelsea are remarkably rich in avifauna. The same can still be said and this year’s survey found 52 wild bird species, with 29 breeding and another 6 species possibly breeding. These are very similar to last years figures. Of special interest are the uncommon species for inner London, which include Tawny Owl (1 pair), Great Spotted Woodpecker (2 pairs), House Martin (5+ pairs), Grey Wagtail (1 pair), Blackcap (5+ pairs) and Long Tailed Tit (6+ pairs). Good numbers of common garden birds continue to exist at the larger sites, such as Holland Park, and common wildfowl can be found at the Borough`s two riverine sites. On one day in August, a young Kingfisher visited Holland Park (a first record for the site). In recent years, Sparrowhawks have featured as a breeding species, but no breeding could be confirmed this year. It is thought that the recent harder winter, coupled with the decrease in numbers of Blue Tits (a main prey species for the male Sparrowhawk) could be the causes. The breeding success of the all species of tits (excluding Long Tailed Tits) was hampered by poor weather in May. House Sparrows have not bred since 2001 and other finches remain in low numbers throughout the Borough, with Greenfinch being the most common (5+ pairs), and small numbers of both Chaffinch (1-2 pairs) and Goldfinch (1+ pairs) present. A lack of weed rich feeding areas, particularly in winter, is believed to be the inhibiting factor. For the second year running Grey Wagtails successfully nested and the colony of house martins reared good numbers of young. The shy and elusive Stock Dove is still present at several sites, and has probably bred. An increase in sightings of Rose-Ringed Parakeets (also known as ringed- necked parakeets), seen flying over several sites, was noted, but they were never observed feeding or nesting. This feral bird is now well established in other parts of West London, and appears to be increasing in numbers. It may soon colonise the Borough. 4 LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED IN THE BOROUGH April - August 2003 SPECIES SCIENTIFIC NAME BREEDING STATUS Gt CRESTED GREBE Podiceps cristatus non breeding CORMORANT Phalacrocorax carbo non breeding GREY HERON Ardea cinerea non breeding GREYLAG GOOSE Anser anser(feral) 1 pair bred CANADA GOOSE Branta canadensis(feral) 5 pairs bred MALLARD Anas platyrhynchos 1+ pair bred TUFTED DUCK Aythya fuligula non breeding SPARROWHAWK Accipiter nisus present - breeding not confirmed KESTREL Falco tinnunculus 1 pair bred MOORHEN Gallinula chloropus 9-10 pairs bred COOT Fulica atra 11 pairs bred BLACK HEADED GULL Larus ridibundus non breeding LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL Larus fuscus bred nearby GREATER BLACK BACKED GULL Larus marinus non breeding HERRING GULL Larus argentatus bred nearby COMMON TERN Sterna hirundo bred nearby FERAL PIGEON Columba livia(feral) bred at all sites STOCK DOVE Columba oenas 1+ pairs possibly breeding WOODPIGEON Columba palumbus bred at most sites TAWNY OWL Strix aluco 1 pair possibly bred SWIFT Apus apus 1-3 pairs bred KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis non breeding ROSE-RINGED PARAKEET Psittacula krameri(feral) non breeding GREEN WOODPECKER Picus viridis 1 pairs bred Gt SPOTTED WOODPECKER Dendrocopus major 2 pairs bred HOUSE MARTIN Delichon urbica 5-7 pairs bred SWALLOW Hirundo rustica passage migrant PIED WAGTAIL Motacilla alba yarrellii 1 pair possibly bred GREY WAGTAIL Motacilla cinerea 1 pair bred WREN Troglodytes troglodytes bred at most sites DUNNOCK Prunella modularis bred at most sites ROBIN Erithicus rubecula bred at most sites 5 BLACKBIRD Turdus merula bred at most sites SONG THRUSH Turdus philomilos 4-5 pairs bred MISTLE THRUSH Turdus viscivorus 1 pair possibly bred WHITETHROAT Sylvia communis 1 pair bred BLACKCAP Sylvia atricapilla 5-7 pairs bred CHIFFCHAFF Phylloscopus collybita 1 pair possibly bred WILLOW WARBLER Phylloscopus trochilus passage migrant GOLDCREST Regulus regulus 2-4 pairs bred LONG TAILED TIT Aegithalos caudatus 6-7 pairs bred COAL TIT Parus ater 2-3 pairs bred BLUE TIT Parus caeruleus bred at most sites GREAT TIT Parus major bred at most sites SPOTTED FLYCATCHER Muscicapa striata passage migrant JAY Garrulus glandarius 2-4 pairs bred MAGPIE Pica pica 3-5 pairs bred CARRION CROW Corvus corone 4-6 pairs bred STARLING Sturnus vulgaris a few bred at most sites HOUSE SPARROW Passer domesticus non breeding CHAFFINCH Fringilla coelebs 1 pair bred GREENFINCH Carduelis chloris 6-8 pairs bred GOLDFINCH Carduelis carduelis 1+ pairs possibly bred TOTAL= 52 species (excluding feral pigeon) NUMBER BREEDING= 29 NUMBER POSSIBLY BREEDING = 6 6 HOLLAND PARK SITE OF METROPOLITAN IMPORTANCE Grid Ref: TQ2479 Size: 16ha (40 acres) Owner/manager: RBK&C Number of visits: 12+ OBSERVATIONS (35 species recorded, including 20-25 breeding) CORMORANT: individuals were seen flying over. GREY HERON: 1 or 2 were irregular early morning visitors to the ponds. MALLARD: Numbers present during the summer were down on previous years, and no successful breeding took place. It is probable that nests were predated by foxes or rats, but in previous years at least one female has appeared with ducklings. SPARROWHAWK: At least one bird was present in the spring, but no signs of breeding activity were found. This is the first year since the surveys began that a pair has failed to breed in or around the Park.
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